A Rose By Any Other Name - Joelay
by ohcrap-itsactuallymydivision
Summary: King Geoff had been organised and fair. King Ryan had been protective and defensive. King Ray had been kind, giving everyone an equal opportunity; even those from lower classes like Joel, one of the King's many servants. It wasn't hard for Joel to choose a favourite King of Achievement City, But it was Ray's open-gate coronation that had sealed the deal for him.


King Geoff, the first King of Achievement City, had ruled fairly. Everyone had an equal opportunity under his reign and he was always well-respected among the city. He had put together the Achievement Hunters, a group of six knights (including himself) who protected Achievement City and it's residents. The Achievement Hunters were the only six who could either become Kings themselves or put forward a new candidate.

King Ryan, also known as the Mad King, had ruled defensively and protectively after winning the crown fair and square from Geoff. He had been a gentle and caring King to everyone in his kingdom, but the second they were threatened, Ryan would protect them at all costs. This had led him to become misunderstood by those not residing in Achievement City.

King Ray, the current King, was known as the Rose King. After the Mad King had tossed his cracked and blood stained crown aside, deciding it was best for the city that a new King take over, Ray wore a crown of bright red roses and was immediately accepted as their new King. Even though he had wealth, he still lived in his small house in downtown Achievement City. He was more of a friend than a ruler but when the time came, he could lead magnificently.

Ray was Joel's favourite King. He'd decided it the day of his coronation when only a select few would traditionally be invited to the banquet, Ray had chosen to open the doors to everyone. Even the chefs, servants and cleaners were allowed to help themselves to the huge party that was organised by the King.

That had been the first royal party Joel had ever attended. He was one of the many servants of the King so the only times he attended parties were to serve at them, handing out drinks and snacks and generally waiting upon the higher-class attendants. But that evening had to be one of the best ones of his life.

Upon arrival, Joel stood with the rest of the residents of Achievement City and some from the surrounding areas like Beacon Castle and Blood Gulch. They all watched in anticipation and awe as Ray read the well-rehearsed lines and everyone cheered when he knelt down and the beautifully fashioned crown of roses was placed on his head by Ryan.

King Ray had smiled and waved at everyone before opening up the doors to the ballroom, revealing a regal set-up of a stage with a band, a large open space for dancing, and a long table with a red tablecloth that held plates and plates of different foods. Joel had known what the room was going to look like due to the fact that he'd helped set everything out but to see it like this, it was… Well, it was breathtaking.

Joel had immediately found himself talking to a variety of interesting and different people. He'd even had a brief yet entertaining conversation with Geoff who had recognised him as one of the servants and congratulated him on the amazing party. Joel had thanked him but gave all credit for the idea to King Ray and they laughed when Geoff said that Ray always came up with the most creative of ideas; like the one time he messed around with Ryan's book of magic and accidentally created a clone of himself - Ghost Ray they had called him - and the Achievement Hunters spent a whole day trying to capture the clone before they finally reversed the spell.

Joel particularly enjoyed conversing with the few people from Blood Gulch. Burnie and Jason he got along well with, Gus and Matt not so much. It seemed like they were in some sort of feud that had split them into two. And the four Queens of Beacon Castle were equally enjoyable to talk to and they even showed off some photos of the weapons that Beacon was famous for.

All in all, Joel was having a fantastic time. He'd wandered over to the long table full of food and was picking at a bunch of grapes when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Enjoying the party?" Joel turned around to see the cheerful face of King Ray who had a glass of punch in one hand, the other he was using to lean on the table casually.

"Yeah, it really is something, Your Majesty." Joel replied as he ran a hand through his dark hair to tame it, even if it didn't work he just wanted to look vaguely presentable in front of the new King. And he knew he wasn't the most eloquent with words so perhaps just saying the bare minimum would be the better way to not make a fool of himself.

Then he registered the fact that the King was holding a glass of punch and not a glass of Geoff's infamous beer or whiskey or literally any other alcoholic drink. But Ray noticed Joel's confused glance towards the beverage before he even had a chance to point it out.

"I didn't really fancy making an idiot of myself on my first day of being King." Ray admitted, smiling up at Joel with that friendly expression of his. One would have thought that the crown of flowers would have made him look odd but with Ray all it did was make him look even friendlier and less intimidating like the two previous Kings had been. Geoff had been kind to the public but he had been regal and very professional whereas Ryan had been a caring King but had been misunderstood by everyone outside of Achievement City, leading to numerous feuds between the kingdoms.

"And I don't drink anyway so I'm glad I managed to convince Geoff to bring along Griffon and Millie 'cause otherwise there would've _only_ been alcohol." Ray finished with another grin before raising his glass to down the small amount of punch left before setting the empty glass down on a tray that had been set out on the table for empties. "You not a big drinker either?"

"Usually I am but I've uh… Never been to a party like this before so I didn't really wanna waste my time getting drunk off my ass." Joel replied, biting his tongue after accidentally letting the expletive loose.

"Really? Dude, you're missing out. This one's turned out better than expected but Geoff's parties are fucking _amazing_." Ray declared as his smile infected Joel who smirked at Ray's curse, feeling less embarrassed about using one himself.

"It's not that I don't _want_ to go to all these parties, it's more like I'm not exactly on the VIP list." Joel replied, grinning when Ray chuckled lightly at his statement.

"What's your name? I'll make sure you're on the list for Geoff's next party." Ray asked politely and wow, Joel had to admit that was smooth. Wait, how was that smooth? He literally just wanted to know Joel's name, it wasn't like he was asking for his number or anything.

"My name's Joel Heyman, Your Majesty." Joel stated, deciding to at least _try_ and keep the conversation as formal as possible. He was talking to the fucking _King of Achievement City_ for fuck's sake, he had to keep the topics as neutral and normal as fuckin' possible.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Heyman." Ray said, extending his hand for Joel to shake. Which he did. But he couldn't help but feel out of place as he talked to the King on a level that made them seem like they were almost equals.

"Just call me Joel, only my mom calls me Mr Heyman." He joked and felt a small sense of accomplishment when Ray let out an amused laugh.

"Only if you just call me Ray." The King declared, smirking cheekily up at Joel with a mischievous glint in his dark brown eyes.

"Uh… Won't that get me thrown in jail?" Joel queried with a skeptical look on his face as he grinned at Ray.

"Nah, I'm not all that big on formalities. Besides, I'm here to meet people and have fun, not to shower in everyone's congratulations about being King." Ray explained, a wide smile on his face as he chuckled at Joel's naturally entertaining attitude. Which Joel was extremely thankful that Ray liked. He was also glad that Ray was completely fine with being addressed without the formalities, and that he was far more casual than Joel had expected, because Joel honestly didn't think he would have been able to sustain a conversation simply because of how nervous he was.

As the evening went on, they chatted and laughed and talked almost as if they'd been friends long before that night. Joel felt genuinely comfortable with making jokes, and Ray felt at ease as he joined in on the joking, both of them poking fun at some of the stranger attendants of the party; namely the weirdly formal and royalty-obsessed folk from out of town that had Ray hiding behind Joel when they walked over. They had both laughed when the people had left, Ray almost crying with laughter at how nonchalant Joel had been when asked where the newly crowned King of Achievement City was.

Barely a few minutes after that, the band began to play a slower song and numerous people were already gathering on the dance floor with their partners.

"Hey Ray, isn't it customary that the King find someone to slow dance with?" Joel asked, a hint of a playful smirk on his features. Sure enough, the beginning notes to a slower song had started to play and Joel even spotted Michael and Lindsay hand-in-hand, Lindsay's arms around Michael's neck and their foreheads pressed together as they slowly danced to the music.

"Uh, if I'm gonna be honest, I _completely_ forgot about that." Ray admitted, straightening his tuxedo absently. Joel could easily tell that Ray hadn't even thought about considering who to dance with.

"Who're you gonna ask?" Joel glanced around the room to see who had a partner and who was watching from the sidelines like they were. So far he could see that Caiti was already dancing with Jack, Geoff and Griffon were together, Gavin was spinning around with a redheaded lady who Joel vaguely remembered as Meg. Most of everyone had already been taken.

"Would _you_ dance with me?" Ray's voice held a slight pleading tone as he looked up at the older man.

"_Me_? Why me? I-I think there are some uh... Some Ladies from Beacon over there or what about uh… Queen Barbara? I think Kathleen from Blood Gulch looked pretty cool… Or what about, uh… Nope, I got nothing." Joel stuttered, trying to stall for as long as he possibly could. Ray wanted to dance with _him_?

"Joel. I don't _care_ that you're a servant. The whole point of inviting everyone was so I didn't have to get bored by hanging around all the pretentious douchebags and I could actually get to know some _normal people_ for once. And you're handsome enough to pass as a Lord so… Take my hand and we'll pretend we actually know what we're doing?" Ray queried, holding his hand out in an offer, a hopeful look on his face.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Joel asked, almost tongue-tied after hearing Ray compliment his appearance. It seemed as though he didn't wear his best (more like _only_) formal clothes for nothing.

"Yeah, it'll be fun! Come _on_ Joel." Ray insisted, taking Joel by the hand and guiding him over to the dance floor. "I'll even let you lead."

"Why are we doing this?" Joel had to prevent himself from grinning and giggling as he complained. As much as dancing with Ray appealed to him, he didn't want Ray to look silly dancing with a male servant of all people.

"You said so yourself, the King is supposed to dance with someone and I couldn't just leave you to dance with some random person. Besides, it's more fun this way." Ray replied with a cheeky grin as he placed his free hand on Joel's waist and allowed him to move in time to the music.

"Joel, stop thinking." Ray ordered as he pressed up against Joel to help them both move smoother across the floor as they danced slowly. "I chose to dance with you because I _want_ to dance with you."

"Really?" Joel asked sceptically. He believed Ray was just doing this out of pity for the servant. Obviously Ray knew that no one would dance with Joel, he was usually described as too enthusiastic and childish for people's tastes. And it wouldn't be the first time someone had done something for him just out of pity.

"Dude, I know I just met you this evening but I think you're awesome. It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to dance with you." Ray informed, a smooth regal tone to his voice and Jesus _Christ_ did Joel like it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ray." Joel replied in the most formal voice he could muster. A quiet voice in the back of his head was telling him 'no, stop flirting with the new King' because of course it was highly illogical for him to do so. But since when did Joel ever listen to logic?

As they danced, Joel had to stop himself numerous times from letting the hand on Ray's waist dip lower into the small of his back. Although Ray had been the one to initiate the more intimate proximity between them as they danced, he didn't want to be on the wrong end of Michael's rage if he was caught flirting with Ray. The Achievement Hunters were very protective of their own, that's why Ryan had been so protective of the kingdom during his reign.

Joel decided he'd just let Ray have control over their interactions just to be on the safe side. So when their chests ended up pressed closely together and one of Ray's hands ended up curled gently in the soft hair at the nape of Joel's neck, his head all but resting on Joel's shoulder, at least Joel wasn't going to get in trouble for anything.

And for someone who had never danced in a formal situation like this, Joel was moving surprisingly smoothly across the dance floor. Which was a complete contrast to the way Ray almost stumbled a few times as he tried to look at least half-decent whilst attempting to dance.

"Dude, you dance _amazingly_. You gotta give me lessons." Ray said, speaking quiet enough so the conversation was almost private between the two of them.

"That'd be great, but I'm no dancing instructor." Joel replied as he smirked, but Ray sighed exasperatedly.

"Joel, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't care that you don't have a special title or job. You're a special _person_ and I think you're really awesome and I guess this is my dumb way of saying I wanna spend more time with you." Ray rambled, and Joel was kind of surprised with the way Ray's voice carried a notion of nervousness within it. But before Joel had any time to react, the song was ending and, just like tradition, Ray leaned forwards and kissed Joel gently on the cheek.

"Ray, I-" Joel started, but was cut off with a cheeky smirk from Ray that held the smallest hint of something more.

"I had a great time." Ray declared, smiling at Joel when he nodded his wordless agreement. "Wanna come meet the rest of Achievement Hunter? I have a feeling you'll like them."

"Uh, sure. I mean, I wouldn't wanna impose or anything."

"Come _on_, Joel!" Ray pleaded, grabbing Joel by the hand and laughing as he exaggeratedly tugged him over to a small group of people who were immediately recognised as the other five Achievement Hunters plus some more royalty and big names Joel would never have even dreamt of meeting.

"Sup _Your Royal Highness_?" Michael drawled before he and Gavin bowed low, smirks on both of their faces.

"Oh fuck off, Michael. At least the fame hasn't gone to my head yet like it did with Geoff." Ray joked, recalling how Geoff had taken advantage of the way people would bow at his feet and do his bidding without a question. Needless to say, a lot of the servants (including Joel) had avoided Geoff until he had pulled his head out of his ass.

"Hey, I wasn't _that_ bad, was I?" Geoff crossed his arms over his chest in defense, but sighed and shrugged his shoulders when he was met with nods from everyone stood around him. "Anyway, congrats on the coronation, dude. I'm sure you'll do well."

"Thanks, man." Ray replied with a proud smile. The conversation then kicked off, and everyone was commenting on the awesome idea of an open-gates ceremony and party, which Joel completely agreed to liking. And as they all talked, Joel actually found himself slipping into the conversation rather casually after some encouragement from Ray.

Then there was one off-hand comment from Michael that set Joel and him off in an in-depth conversation. "I'm just glad you're happy with a crown of roses, 'cause the price of gold these days is _ridiculous_."

"I could not agree with you more." Joel added honestly.

"But mining it isn't that difficult…" Ray informed, sending the three of them into a conversation, somehow roping Jack in at one point as well. As it turned out, Ray and Jack did a fair bit of mining themselves when Jack wasn't too busy planning and building houses, and when Ray wasn't too preoccupied with fighting off the monsters that roamed the city's borders. Joel didn't have the same first-hand experience of mining as they did, but it was quite endearing to see Ray talk about something he was obviously so passionate about.

They all ended up having a great time overall, Ray unconsciously sticking by Joel for most of the evening until Michael grabbed Ray by the arm, insisting he accompany him to get another drink.

When they were all the way over at the table, Michael whispered to Ray. "Dude, I think you made a good choice."

"Um… What?" Ray hesitated, unsure of what Michael was getting at.

"I totally fuckin' saw you kiss him." Michael confessed, a satisfied and scheming smirk on his face.

"I literally only just met him." Ray replied, finding no other way to word how he felt about Joel. Because if he was honest, not even he knew what he was doing.

"I met Lindsay at Geoff's coronation party 'cause she was one of the four Queens of Beacon Castle and I was an Achievement Hunter knight. We ended up dancing then I kissed her _and_ organised a date all on the same night." Michael explained, thumb absently running over the smooth metal of his wedding ring. "Who's to say you and Joel won't be the same?"

Ray paused for a few seconds, contemplating what to say next before speaking up again, this time a little bit more nervous than the last. "Am I allowed to date anyone I want?"

"Ray, you're the fucking _King_, of _course_ you can date whoever you want!" Michael exclaimed, pouring himself a drink and taking a long swig of the beer he'd grabbed before leading the way back. "If you want my opinion, I think Joel's pretty hot. And yes, I know he's a servant, I've seen him around a few times, but who cares?! I sure don't. If you like him, then that should be all that matters, like I said, you're the motherfucking_King_, baby! You don't need approval."

"Thanks, Michael. I'm just glad that if I screw this up I can blame it on you."

Joel was half-way through an incredibly dumb argument with Gavin when Ray arrived back, an elated smile on his face. He somehow managed to convince Gavin that the debate was dumb and he was wrong anyway, giving Ray the perfect opportunity to take Joel by the hand and lead him away a little bit so their conversation wasn't overheard.

"So Joel, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to, uh... I dunno, go on a date with me sometime?" Ray stammered through nervously, smiling with a little more confidence when Joel squeezed his hand gently to comfort him.

"Dude, that would be _awesome_." Joel proclaimed his agreement, somehow keeping his cool even when dumb fuckin' butterflies decided to have a rave in his stomach.

"I was thinking perhaps something super cliché like a walk in the woods and a picnic?" Ray suggested, the blush on his cheeks almost matching the red of his crown, but Joel couldn't help but find it extremely adorable.

"Sounds cliché as fuck but it also sounds fun as hell, I'm in." Joel stated with a wide grin. And with that, they both walked hand-in-hand back to where the other Achievement Hunters, Ray satisfied with the knowledge that Joel had said yes to their date, and Joel satisfied with the knowledge that Ray was, without a single doubt in the world, Joel's favourite King of Achievement City. Why, you may ask?

Because that night, Ray had already proven that he was better than both Geoff and Ryan simply because he showed how much he cared for people, not as a whole, but as individuals. He didn't care for fancy titles, he cared about personality and skills more than anything else.

There was also the tiny fact that he and Joel were kind of in love. But there were benefits to dating the Rose King, Joel's favourite being the fact that he would often wake up to a single red rose on his bedside table which had to be one of the loveliest things anyone had ever done for Joel. It was the sweet gesture that meant the most to Joel, although it also meant that he had seeing Ray to look forward to that day.


End file.
